The Sky Witch
by Maka.the.state.alchemeister
Summary: Maka and Soul, a month or so after defeating the Kishin, are on a mission. But during this mission, a mysterious witch appears and weird things happen. How will the pair react?
1. Introductions: The Sky Witch Knows All?

The air was cool on Maka Albarn's pale legs, her black coat fluttering in the wind. The evening was silent so far, but her and her partner, Soul "Eater" Evans, were on a mission. Maka closed her green eyes and focused her energy. In her mind's eye she could see the blue glowing orbs, known as souls, of innocent people, as well as murderers' souls, which were red, near her location. If she wanted, she could pinpoint specific souls around the world with the help of her partner. But now was not the time. She had to locate the kishin egg soon. She soon found their target about a mile from their location.

The view of the town was vast from the roof. Buildings of various sizes peaked out of the horizon. Some of the homes were made of aged brick, standing for so long. A chimneystack spat out smoke from a warm fire. The sun's setting gaze made the shadows long and dark, stretching eastward. The moon had begun its ascent into the sky, followed by the pinpricks of light known as stars. Trees stretched out around the town, making it seem like the forest fenced it in. To the west there was a break in the trees, a narrow road for the travelers coming and going. The path seemed to glow in the last minutes of light before the darkness.

"Let's go Soul," she told him. Soul started the engine of his motorcycle, and they were on their way. As they made their way through the town streets, Maka's blonde pigtails were being pushed back by the wind. "We need to be careful, this target is dangerous. I saw traces of something that I didn't recognize, so be prepared. We may have to use the black blood."

"Whatever. Let's hope it doesn't result to that," Soul said with a pause. His red eyes flickered. "That'd be so uncool." His white hair was tied back by a thin black head band and stuck up in the back. His black leather jacket flapped between his orange shirt and Maka.

They pulled up to a small store. The lights were on, then flicked off. "Guess visitors aren't welcome right now," Soul commented. He stared at the windows where he had seen a figure before the lights went off. In the window's reflection he could see himself next to Maka, about half a foot difference in height. '_Hehe, she's still so short..._' he thought to himself. Maka had her usual outfit on: a red plaid miniskirt, a yellow vest, a white button up shirt, and a green and white striped tie all underneath a long black coat. Her black and white boots didn't give her height much of a boost.

"We'll invite ourselves then" Maka replied. "But after we knock. I sense human souls in this building as well. We need to make sure they're safe."

"_Ugh, why does Maka have to be so stubborn and uncool? Cool guys don't knock…_" Soul took pride in his meister, but he still had his opinions.

Maka rose her fist to knock when a shot was fired. The bullet had gone through the door. She raised her gloved hand to her right shoulder and saw red.

"Shit!" Soul yelled running to Maka's side.

"Soul!" '_Damn_,' Maka thought to herself. She started to feel a little dizzy. '_Have to keep calm._' Otherwise she might not defeat her opponent. She could still feel the madness wavelength from Asura's battle, and she didn't want to lose herself in the midst of a battle.

"Right!" Soul's body morphed into a scythe; the handle was long and silver and the blade had a zig-zag pattern with black on the top and red on the bottom. The top of the staff had an eye with a red iris; presumably where Soul could see.

Maka was a meister and Soul was a demon scythe. Demon weapons are humans who have the ability to transform from human to weapon form, and vis versa. They are stronger than regular weapons and assist Lord Death in capturing corrupt souls who have strayed onto the path of kishins, or gods of madness. Meisters are humans who train to wield such weapons, and few have the ability to see souls as Maka can. Meisters and demon weapons also have the advantage of sharing soul wavelengths; this is how they are able to fight more quickly and efficiently than with regular weapons. When they resonate their souls, the power resulting in the reaction makes their attacks stronger. Together, the pair took evil souls in the name of Lord Death. They had plenty of experience; Maka had just defeated Asura the Kishin a few months previously. Yet, Soul was still not one of Lord Death's weapons. This was to be their 95th target, and they needed 99, plus a witch's soul, before Soul could become an elite weapon. The witch's soul was the final power needed for a weapon to become a strong "Death Scythe." This egg had made the first move and they were now on the defensive.

"Get off my damn property you rascals!" The shopkeeper was now in front of the pair, pointing a pistol at Maka's face.

"Wait, what happened to the kishin egg? It was just here! It just disappeared!" Panic rose in Maka, not from the threat, but from the fact that she had lost the target. '_How the hell did it disappear?!_'

"Maka! Calm down!" Soul could feel her panic through the soul wavelength they shared and transformed back into his human form to shield his meister from the threat. He rued his meister's reckless attitude about her own safety.

"Sorry Sir, we're from the Death Weapon Meister Academy sent by Lord Death himself," Maka explained quickly from behind Soul. She regained her professional composure, pushing the missing egg from her mind for now.

"Oh, so you're from the DWMA are ya? Get off my property! I didn't file any complaints!" The grouchy old man still had his gun in his hand, and it was well known already that he was not afraid to use it.

"Can we at least get a damn apology?! You shot at us!" Soul yelled in defense.

"Soul, just drop it. We should just-"

"No! You're injured because this jerk didn't think before shooting! No one touches my meister!"

"Soul, please. It's not that bad, and we still have a mission to complete." Maka had to drag Soul to the bike before he finally relaxed, though he was still protective of her as usual. '_I wish he wasn't so damn stubborn about protecting me in his human form. One day he'll get killed because of me..._'

"We need to patch you up first." Soul grabbed her by the waist and sat her on the bike.

Just as Maka was about to protest, they heard an explosion to the south. Soul immediately hopped onto his bike and drove them in the direction of the blast. Maka used her Soul Perception to see if it was the target. She found the egg, as well as another soul, though she paid no attention to it.

"So that's where he disappeared!" It seemed the kishin egg had set the explosion off.

"Stupid move on his part. Told us right where he is." Soul smirked at the thought. His gut told him something was up, but he ignored it.

As soon as they arrived at the scene, a plaza in the middle of the town, Soul transformed. The blast had been in the middle, by what had been a fountain. It had been large enough to cause a fire. The fire was making Maka's shadow dance across the bricks, but couldn't light up the figure on the far side.

"By order of Lord Death, your soul is mine!" Maka shouted at the figure.

"If you can defeat me, Maka Albarn" the figure replied tauntingly.

"You're talking to the next Death Scythe!" Soul yelled proudly, still in weapon form.

"Not with the way you fought Asura. You'll never be a weapon worthy of Lord Death, Soul." The figure stepped into the light. Her black hair blended into the night sky, its length to her shoulders, framing her sky blue eyes. Her mouth was contorted in a snicker, and her eyes cold. She stood at a height of a little over 5'5", though it was hard to tell with her levitating. Her skin was blemish free and white. The dress she wore was almost the same shade of her eyes and floor length with a slit down her left leg, as if she was hosting a dinner party. Though she didn't need them, she had on blue heels. "You may have heard of me as Sukai."

Maka gasped. '_The sky witch? Here?_' she thought. She had read about her in books, though they had said that she had disappeared. Apparently she had reappeared. '_How does she know us and of the battle with The Kishin?_'

"Big deal!" Soul retorted. "We can beat you anytime." Apparently Soul hadn't noticed the use of their names.

"You weren't our target. Why are you here?" Maka became annoyed with Soul for his comments and ignorance. She wasn't going to fight someone not on Lord Death's list, even if that someone was a witch and knew their names.

"To simply send a message to Lord Death. And, of course, to get the upperhand..." With that, Sukai flicked her hand at Maka, which sent her backward. Maka felt her skirt flit around her before slamming into a distant wall. The wind was knocked out of her and she felt light-headed. Whatever the witch had done, it seemed to have taken her breath away. She was drowning yet surrounded by air.

Time seemed to slow down. In slow motion, Maka first saw Soul transform, then heard him yell, but she couldn't hear what.

"Soul…" she whispered. '_That idiot is going to get himself killed_' she thought fearfully.

She saw Soul's white hair and red eyes full of fear and concern before the world went black.


	2. Black Blood: Connections?

"Shit! What the hell did you do to Maka?!" Soul's panic and fury were clear in his voice.

"Lord Death will get the message. Good luck little scythe." And with that, Sukai the witch flew away in an instant.

"What the hell?!"

"Soul…" Maka whimpered. Soul rushed over to his meister, fearing the worst. He watched in fear as she fell into unconsciousness. The pair had been through black blood, magic paralyzing spider webs, and complete madness. '_What the hell is it this time?'_ Soul thought to himself.

The town square was still bathed in light from the fire, though it was starting to die. The brick felt smooth and cold through Soul's jeans.

"Damnit! What the hell do I do now?!" Soul got up and started pacing in front of Maka. He couldn't go after the witch nor the egg without his partner, and even if he could he wouldn't abandon her. He needed help, guidance. He thought furiously. '_What's Lord Death's number? Oh, Maka has a rhyme for it. Damnit! What is it!_'

He frantically tried to remember the rhyme Maka muttered every time she contacted Lord Death. _'Uhh, 42-42-something whenever something Death's door? Umm, umm.' _A minute or so passed as Soul searched his memories._ 'Oh! It has to be 42-42-564!'_

Soul ran over to a window nearby, fogged the glass with his breath, and used his finger to write the number. The numbers disappeared into the glass and the window went black. He could hear the ringing like a phone call. "Come on, come on…" he muttered under his breath bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"Hello! Hiya! How are-" Lord Death's child-like voice came on. His image appeared on the window like a screen. He was in a black robe that covered his entire body and a white mask that was where his face would be. Behind him appeared to be a desert lit by a light blue sky, but Soul knew that was just the Death Room.

"Lord Death! We have an emergency! Maka has been hit by some kind of magic by this witch Suco or Sakka or something! She's unconscious and her soul's beginning to feel faint!" The words rushed out of Soul.

"Oh dear! I was afraid something like this would happen. I have already sent Professor Stein." He paused. "Can you describe the witch to me?" His tone became serious, like the witch was the most important problem then. Through the white mask you could see his concern.

"Uhh, well she had black hair and a bunch of blue on. That's all I can remember of her appearance, but she seemed to know about our battle with the Kishin. But what about Maka? Is she gonna to be ok? What did you mean by 'something like this'? What the hell do I do?" Soul started to sound hysterical.

"We need to get her back to DWMA." Professor Stein, clad in his stitched-up lab coat, said behind Soul. His gray hair billowed in the slight breeze. Soul could see the fire reflected in his big, round glasses. Stein's green eyes assessed the scene.

"I'll get her back quickly. Just take your bike back and I'll handle Maka. Lord Death? May you please relay a message to Naigus to prepare for an incoming patient?"

"Of course Stein. Just get back soon." And with that the window became transparent again and the call ended.

Stein paused for a minute, lost in thought. "Professor, aren't we in a hurry?!" Soul had already grabbed his bike and his patience was running thin.

Stein snapped out of it. "Let's hurry Soul. Get your bike. Now that I think of it, I don't want to leave you alone." He seemed to be continuously scanning the area for something and hadn't noticed that Soul had his bike next to him. "I can feel Maka's soul wavelength. She's fighting to survive…"

"Then why can't I feel her wavelength?" Their connection was strong; Soul knew this. When others couldn't resonate during the war on the kishin, they hadn't had a problem.

The professor ignored the question.

The ride took them less than an hour to return to Death City. The mission had luckily been local. Yet Stein could feel Maka's soul wavelength become fainter and fainter. Of course he didn't tell Soul… the information he had relaid earlier had been false truth; she was fighting, just not death. Or not true death. For other pairs, the faint connection wasn't a problem. But for Maka and Soul, it could mean that either Maka was fighting madness or had gone into a coma. Neither was favorable.

The Nevada heat was non-existent at night. The chilly temperatures were mind-boggling when compared to the inferno during the day. As they rode through the desert, Soul looked over his shoulder at Maka. She was strapped to his bike, and shivering. '_Shit, she's going to catch a cold if I don't give her my jacket._'

_'__If we slow down now, it will not benefit her later._' Stein spoke to Soul through their wavelengths.

"What the hell?" Soul questioned aloud. In the rush of helping Maka, he forgot that Stein could resonate with anyone, enabling the professor to be the DWMA's strongest meister.

'_It's easier to communicate like this while on the run. But don't stop, we need to get Maka back as fast as possible.'_

Soul waited until they reached DWMA to ask Stein the question that was burning at him.

"What's happening to Maka?"

"She seems to have been hit with some sort of madness infused magic. Not all of the madness has been suppressed, especially in the pairs who fought the Kishin directly: Black Star and Tsubaki, Death the Kid with the Thompson sisters, you, and especially Maka, since she fought him the longest." Stein's voice was monotone.

"Why did that witch attack us?" As Soul had calmed down during the ride, he had formed several questions that he wanted answers to.

Soul was answered with silence. He asked another question. "Who is that witch?" Still no answer. '_Typical,'_ he thought._ 'So I don't get to know a damn thing._'

Soul picked up Maka and carried her to the dispensary. Stein and Soul walked quickly in silence until they reached their destination. Soul was reminded of their first encounter with Asura and how Maka had passed out still trying to fight. '_She's a fighter. She'll be fine, I know it._' The mini pep-talk didn't ease Soul's worry.

When the three reached the dispensary, Soul immediately laid Maka in the bed closest to the window. "Is there anything I can do?" Naigus was already working on Maka, but walked back to Soul.

"No, I'm sorry. She'll have to at least stay overnight. I would go home if I were you." Naigus's soothing voice told Soul. Her face was wrapped in bandages and her lab coat covered the bandages on her torso and arms. Her hair was black and in braids. Her blue eyes searched Soul's face. Naigus's black bandaged hand rested on Soul's shoulder.

Instead of listening to the mummy-nurse, he stayed. While they were bustling around, he leaned against the wall. After the professor and nurse left, Soul took the seat next to the bed Maka was placed in. He stayed up sitting and watching over her until he passed out.

As Soul slept, he had the same nightmares from when he first got the black blood that now run through his veins. These nightmares started with a flashback. Maka and Soul were fighting Crona, then, an egg on the verge of becoming a kishin. Maka was losing ground and would not use Soul to block Crona's attacks, knowing something about Crona's weapon was hurting him each time she blocked. She was cornered and about to be sliced open. But Soul transformed back into his human form to protect her. As the flashback faded, the nightmares replaced it. Soul was in complete darkness. After what seemed like an eternity, he could hear Maka's screams. "Maka?! I'm coming!" he yelled back. A light appeared above him and Soul reached the opening. But when he got there and climbed through, he was climbing out of Maka's stomach. What was different about these dreams was that they didn't end there like before. A new horror arose.

Soul was on top of Baba Yaga Castle, the scene of the battle against Asura. He felt weird and out of place, like this wasn't his nightmare. The magic barrier keeping the team (Soul, Maka, Black Star, Tsubaki, Death the Kid and the Thompson sisters) was red and strong from the kishin. The stone battlefield was littered with broken bricks and boulders. He saw Maka across from him, Asura defeated behind her. '_She defeated him! But why is the barrier still up? Something isn't right._' As Soul finished that last thought, Maka rushed at him. Shock spread across his face as he could see the madness had taken hold in her. She had a murderous look in her eyes and a creepy smile across her mouth. Soul tried to move, but he wasn't in control of his body. Her hands were around his neck and his breath became short. He blacked out.

"Maka?!" Soul woke yelling. He was breathless and found himself in the chair, still next to Maka in the dispensary. Her face was contorted in fear, but he didn't wake her. He looked at the clock and saw that it was 3 AM. Soul turned over and fell back into a restless sleep.


	3. The Library: Return of the Demon?

The Weapon Blood Library: Return of the Demon?

As Maka fell into darkness, her breathing felt constricted. The further she fell the harder it became to take even the smallest of breaths. 'Why is it so hard to breath?'

"You're a persistent one aren't you?" Maka heard a familiar raspy voice.

"What the hell are you doing here demon?" Maka managed to say. The dwarf red demon appeared out of the darkness. No, they weren't in darkness anymore. They were in a library. The black shelves were overflowing with books. Most of the books were red, black, or green, like Maka's eyes. There seemed to be endless shelves creating rows and pathways. The tile was black and white checkered, unusual for a library. The walls were covered with more shelves and a window here or there. The windows had gray curtains, adding to the monochromatic theme of the room. Every few rows there were piles of books threatening to topple over onto the ground. Another peculiar thing about this library was the lack of tables and chairs. There were only two chairs and a table in the center of the room, where there was an opening between the shelves.

"As if you haven't realized it yet..." The demon drawled. At the look of confusion on Maka's face, he sighed. "I, the black blood, madness, however you choose to call me, have entered you, without the help of Soul, finally."

"...How?" She managed to whisper after a few moments. The hesitation was out of anger and fear.

"Oh, use that head of yours. Obviously you're smarter than this since you saved Soul from me all those months ago. What happened to you last?" The demon seemed to have fun playing this game of know-it-all.

Maka thought. '_Well, Soul and I were on a mission. I remember locating the egg. But it disappeared. I think I got shot, but an explosion happened nearby. We got to the city square and someone was there. Who was it...?!'_

"Her name was Sukai, if that helps.." The demon taunted.

'_The Sky witch? That's right! She hit me with some magic to send a message, and something else. The upper hand?' _Maka collected herself. "So, it was that magic?" She muttered.

"And we have a winner!" He seemed to be making himself at home.

"Where are we?" It had a striking resemblance to a black and white version of the DWMA library, but seemed unreal.

"Hmm, so you've been far into your friend's souls, but you've never been in your own. Interesting. I might have the upperhand then." Then Maka noticed that his size had changed.

'_Has he been growing this whole time?!' _Maka thought in alarm.

"I think you will make a comparable replacement for Soul, though I'd have preferred him. Oh well..." He started to approach the small meister.

'_Never..._' She thought. Franticly, she searched the library, hoping for something useful to show itself. And then she saw a book. The leather-bound volume seemed huge at first glance. The blue writing on the cover read "Weapon Blood." There was a buckle clasp keeping it shut. The brass buckle contrasted with the red leather of the book. '_Worth a shot...'_ She tried to grab the book, but something peculiar happened. It started to glow, and there seemed to be a chain reaction between her and the book. _'What's happening?!_'

"What did you do?" There was a hint of fear in his voice.

She felt power build in her soul. The book seemed to be inputting it's information inside her brain. 'To activate, imagine the demon-sycthe within yourself.' She did as the book told her and her arm transformed into a scythe blade.

"What the hell?" she whispered, still having difficulty breathing. The blade had the jagged painted design similar to Soul's, but colored like her father's, Spirit, gray and black.

"How the hell did you do that?" The fear in the demon's voice was clear now.

Maka let her courage run through her veins, strengthening her. '_Less talking or I'll lose my breath too soon.'_ She developed a quick attack plan, acting before finishing it. She was able to slice through the demon several times with spin attacks before she had to stop.

"My turn…" he teased. As he started to make his way toward her, the room began to spin.

"Huh…?" she managed to mutter before falling to the ground. She had tried to breathe too harshly and needed more oxygen than she was getting. The demon was above her, looking down.

"You're making it too easy!" As he was bringing down the madness around them, Maka fought.

"You. Will. Not. Win!" There was a flash of blue that cleared the darkness. "I will not be defeated!"

Maka suddenly found herself in one of her most frequent nightmares. Her breathing was finally normal. She was at the battle against Asura. The kishin had been defeated, but the magic barrier he had made was still solid. Maka had no control of her body. She had been forced to watch this, or something similar, every night since the battle. Soul was across from her, and suddenly she felt her body moving. She felt her gloved hands being placed around Soul's neck, slowly squeezing the air out of him. He tried to fight her off, but he eventually became limp. Finally, she regained control and fell to her knees. She held Soul's cold body and sobbed for what seemed like an eternity.

"Maka! What's wrong?" Soul shook his meister to consciousness.

The tears were real and stung her eyes. But Maka still refused to talk to Soul about her nightmare, afraid that if she said it aloud it would come true somehow. She quickly tried to wipe her eyes dry and appear okay, though she knew Soul had already seen. "Nothing's wrong. Wait, where am I? What happened?"

Soul dropped the matter, temporarily, and told Maka of the events from when they had started the mission. "All that happened? We really encountered the Sky witch? I thought that had all been a dream..." Maka looked out the window at the sun shining in her face. She remembered the mission, but had no recollection of what had happened in her soul. Of course the dream had stuck with her. It always did. "Wait, how long have I been here?" Maka turned towards Soul and asked frantically. '_Weeks, months?_' she thought fearfully.

"This all happened last night. Why do you ask?"

"Well I can't miss class baka!"

Soul rolled his eyes. "Maka, why do you have to be so uncool?"


End file.
